In recent years a number of industries have adopted the FIBC or bag-in-box concepts for storing and transporting liquid and particulate commodities in relatively large quantities. For example, the bag-in-box concept has been employed for transporting in bulk such diverse products as beverages, vegetable oils, salad dressings, syrups, soy sauce, peanut butter, pharmaceuticals, talc, motor oil, industrial chemicals, detergents in liquid or powder form, and toiletry products or ingredients, etc.
The FIBC concept includes a bulk container system comprising a flexible liner in a flexible or semi-flexible bag. In one embodiment, a FIBC bag is made of a woven material (e.g., woven polymer, TYVEX®, canvas, wire mesh or net). The flexible liner is typically chemically resistant and impermeable to water and air and serves as the container for a selected commodity. The FIBC bag serves as a protective container for the flexible liner and its contents. A FIBC bag is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,596,040 to LaFleur et al., which issued Jun. 17, 1986, and is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
The bag-in-box concept comprises a flexible or foldable liner and a rigid or semi-rigid box as an outer container. The flexible liner is generally prepared by seal working plastic films or an integrated molding manufactured by blow-molding fused plastic into an integrated mold, etc. The flexible liner is typically chemically resistant and impermeable to water and air and serves as the container for a selected commodity. The box may be made of plywood or other materials, cardboard, fiberboard, metal, or plastic. The box serves as a protective container for the flexible liner and its contents. A box for a bag-in-box system is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,533,122 to Plunkett, which issued Mar. 18, 2003, and is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety. A bag for use in a bag-in-box system is disclosed in US 2005-0220369 A1, entitled “Bag With Flap for Bag-In-Box Container Systems,” which is hereby incorporated by reference in its entirety.
In one embodiment, the liner may include at least a filler fitting near the top of the liner whereby the liner may be filled with, or drained of, its contents. The outer container usually comprises a cover or top panel that is removable to permit access to the liner and the filler fitting.
A financial consideration of the bag-in-box mode of shipment of materials in bulk is that the outer container can be a non-returnable or one-way container. For example, where the outer container is a box for a bag-in-box system and is generally made of a corrugated fiberboard or the like, the box can be discarded after use.
With respect to the bag-in-box concept as applied to bulk shipment or commodities, the plastic flexible liners have taken various forms. One common form is the so-called “pillow” type, which consists of at least two sheets of plastic film sealed together at their edges. Another common form is the six-sided flexible liners (e.g., liners that take the shape of a cube or rectangular parallelepiped when filled) made from a plurality of sheets of plastic film.
Regardless of the type of liner in the outer container, it can be difficult to completely fill or empty the liner. This is especially the case when the content of the liner is a viscous liquid. During the discharge of the liner's contents, the evacuated portion of the liner has a tendency to collapse due to a vacuum effect. Similarly, when the liner is being filled, the liner again tends to collapse because the contents pull the sides of the liner downward. In either case, as the liner collapses, folds are created that entrap the contents of the liner.
The flexible liner is often inferior at conforming to an interior shape of the outer container. Thus, when the flexible liner is positioned within the outer container, there is wasted or dead space between the flexible liner and the outer container. When dead space is formed between the flexible liner and the outer container, the flexible liner moves easily within the outer container, which may lead to breakage of the flexible liner during shipping. Similarly, when the flexible liner does not conform to the interior shape of the outer container, undesired folds or bends can occur in the flexible liner. When a part of the flexible liner is folded or bent in an undesired location, the contents will remain in the folded or bent portions, such that it is difficult to completely empty the contents from the flexible liner.
Furthermore, flexible liners are often not self-supporting. It can be difficult and inconvenient to handle the flexible liners at the same time the flexible liner is being filled or emptied.
Therefore, there is a need for a system and method of supporting a liner off an outer container used in a bag-in-box system, thereby decreasing the tendency of the liner to collapse, or fold over on itself, during filling or emptying of the liner contents. There is a further need for a system and method providing the ability to fill a liner of a bag-in-box system to capacity. There is also a need for a system and method of combining or incorporating the liner with an outer container used in a bag-in-box system. There is a need for a system and method for a collapsible liner and collapsible bag-in-box outer container.